Thankful

As Thanksgiving approaches, I'm reminded of how lucky I am for what I have and the wonderful life I have been blessed with.  Here is a list of things I am thankful for:

1.  My health
2.  My husband, who loves me with his whole heart and is ALWAYS there for me.  He makes me feel like the luckiest girl in the whole wide world.
3.  My parents - they love me uncondtitionaly and support me with everything I do.  They are always there for me and I love them more than words can say.  I am truly lucky to have such amazing, selfless parents who would do anything for me and my sister..
4.  My sister - we might not always get along, but I love her and am so lucky to call her my sister.  I love you, Allie!
5.  My new family - I'm so happy to be a part of the O'Brien family - you guys have made me feel so welcomed and I am so lucky to have married into such a fun and loving family.  I love you guys!
6.  My friends, old and new; I am so lucky to call you my friends.  Thanks for always being there for me.
7.  The Dunns - who have taken Winnie into their home with open arms and are treating her like a princess.  She is one lucky pup!
8.  My dad's new job - hopefully one that will make him happy and enjoy what he is doing

This list could go on forever...I am so lucky for the life I have and sometimes need to stop and remind myself how lucky I truly am.  I hope everyone has a WONDERFUL Thanksgiving spent with family and friends.  Hopefully you will see Dave and me on t.v. during the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade! ;)

Baking Extravaganza (Thanks Pinterest!)

Dave's good friend, Jared, moved to the area this past week.  He was coming over on Sunday to watch the Patriot's game with Dave so I decided I would make him some yummy treats to welcome him to the area.  I got most of my cookie ideas from my Pinterest board.

A little drinking & baking with my hunny! 

 

The best sous-chef!

First I made the dough for sand dollar cookies from the recipe I found here since it had to be refrigerated for at least 2 hours (I ended up refrigerating it over night.)  Next it was onto the pumpkin snicker-doodle cookies.  This dough needed to refrigerate for at least an hour so while the dough was cooling, I decided to whip up a batch of classic chocolate chip cookies.  Dave was a tremendous help throughout the whole process by measuring out ingredients, cleaning up after me and keeping me company.  It was such a fun night of baking together.  Once we were done with the chocolate chip cookies, it was time to bake the pumpkin snicker-doodle cookies.  Before I could put them in the oven, I had to roll the dough into little balls and dip the balls into a cinnamon sugar mixture.  After that, I took a small wine glass and rinsed the rim with water then dipped the rim into the sugar mixture.  I took the bottom of the glass and pressed down on the dough to form flat cookies.  Once I finished this process it was time to put the cookies in the oven.  The cookies made our home smell like fall...it was fabulous. 

Flattening the pumpkin cookies

Pre-bake

Delicious pumpkin snicker-doodle cookies

Sunday morning we finished making the sand dollar cookies.  These cookies were not the easiest cookies to make because it involved trying to find the perfect almond shapes and pressing them into the cookie deep enough that they would stay put but not hard enough that they would break.  The sand dollar cookies tasted ok, but I prefer my Martha Stewart snicker-doodles any day!

Sand dollar cookies - NOT worth the effort! :)

Jared's goodies! :)

The next task for the cookies was how was I going to give them to Jared.  I had seen on Pinterest a wrapped Pringles jar to put your baked cookies in.  I picked up some wrapping paper from The Container Store, along with some tins and gift tags.  I bought some Pringles, something we never have in the house, took out the Pringles and put them in a Ziploc bag and cleaned out the Pringles container.  After I dried it, I wrapped it with wrapping paper, made a gift tag and tied it onto the container.  I put the other cookies in separate tins that we also picked up at the Container Store.  It was such a fun project that I got to do with my husband.  I hope Jared enjoys his cookies and his new home!

Jam-Packed Weekend of Fun

This past weekend was filled to the brim with a lot of fun activities!  Since we knew that Saturday and Sunday were going to be super busy we decided to have a relaxing night in by watching The Lorax and The Hunger Games  I had watched The Lorax as a kid and enjoyed it but wasn't too impressed with the new movie.  I would give it 3 stars.  I haven't read The Hunger Games but decided to watch the movie with Dave.  I really enjoyed it and want to know what happens next, so it looks like when I'm not studying for school, I will be reading the books!  We also took a break to get some fro-yo...yummy!!! :)

Saturday morning we drove to our jeweler so I could pick out a simple wedding band that I can wear when I'm exercising, at the beach/pool or doing other activities that I don't feel comfortable wearing my original ring since it has a lot of tiny diamonds and is very delicate.  It was fun to be back at our jeweler...I mean what girl doesn't like to look at jewelry?!?! :)

Guitar-Shaped Margarita/Strawberry Daiquiri and a Funnel Cake!  Concert FOOD!

   

Dancing to "Then" in the rain <3

Jeff & Susanna being cute! :)

Saturday afternoon we headed out to Bristow, VA for the Brad Paisley concert with our friends Jeff and Susanna.  We tailgated for a little while and did a lot of people watching (OBVIOUSLY this is a must for country concerts!)  Easton Corbin opened up as well as The Band Perry.  They both were amazing and I especially loved The Band Perry.  Their song, Postcard from Paris, has become a favorite of mine.  Brad Paisley was out of this world!  He's such a good performer, seems so genuine and has an amazing voice.  This was my 3rd time seeing him in concert and he was just as good as the first two times.  Unfortunately, it rained but that didn't stop us from enjoying the concert.  The highlights from the concert included:  being able to experience Jeff's first concert with him :) , dancing with Dave to "Ticks" (the night we met, we played this song on Guitar Hero together), dancing with Dave in the rain to "Then" (our first dance song), Carrie Underwood coming out and singing with Brad Paisley and just having a wonderful night with great friends!

 

The Band Perry:  "Postcard From Paris"

Pulling up to Cirque Du Soleil!

Sunday afternoon Dave surprised me with tickets to Cirque Du Soleil Totem.  This was the first time for both of us to attend one of their shows.  We had such an amazing time; the tricks that they did were phenomenal.  We kept looking at each other in awe of the performers.  It was such a fun date and something different from what we usually do.

It was such a fun-filled weekend with great friends and my wonderful husband.  Now we have my beautiful cousin's wedding to look forward to this weekend in New Jersey.  

A Fun Weekend With Friends

Okay, so I wrote this post earlier this week but hadn't gotten around to adding the pictures, so please forgive the delay!

This past weekend was P-E-R-F-E-C-T!  We started the weekend with a fun game of Top Golf on Friday night with our good friends, Jeff and Susanna.  We all took golf lessons together this summer and wanted to practice what we had learned.  Even though I forgot some of the things I learned during our lesson it was still a fun night with great company!

Dave & Suman at the aquarium!

Saturday we drove up to Baltimore to visit our friend Suman and his girlfriend Rupal.  It was so good to see them again since we hadn't seen them since our wedding except for about 5 minutes back in December.  We decided we would spend the afternoon at the Baltimore Aquarium.  I had never been to the Baltimore Aquarium and was really looking forward to it!  My favorite exhibit was definitely the shark exhibit...man, are those things creepy looking!! 

Dave w/his "grape soda"

Yummy baked gnocchi

After a fun day of exploring the aquarium we were all famished!  Rupal found the perfect little Italian place for dinner.  I had baked gnocchi which was TO DIE FOR!  Dave thoroughly enjoyed his "grown-up grape soda!" :)  The food, drinks, conversation and company were amazing!

After our big meal we decided to walk back to the Inner Harbor.  As we strolled we came upon this little park that had instruments you could play and the craziest walkway I had ever seen.  We hung out there for a bit before we decided to grab a drink.

Rupal & Me playing in the park!

I swear I'm only squinting b/c there was a huge fan over my head!

We walked by Dick's Last Resort and I was immediately drawn to the ginormous margaritas with beers in them!  We decided to get a drink there so Rupal and I each ordered a margarita and shared it with our guy! :)

What a wonderful day it was with great friends!

Sunday was spent relaxing at the pool and catching up on chores.  All in all I would say it was the perfect weekend!

It's a Smile, It's a Kiss, It's a Sip of Wine, It's Summertime!!

At the dunes in Kitty Hawk, NC

Life has been busy lately and I LOVE it!!  Last weekend we went to the Outer Banks with Dave's aunt and uncle and his cousins and had a wonderful time!  We relaxed, swam in the ocean, visited the dunes, had a few cocktails, played some games and overall had an amazing time;  I was sad to come back!

Having fun at the dunes!

I've also been busy with school, which is not fun, but it just means I'm that much closer to getting my CPA which is exciting.  We've also been taking golf lessons every Saturday morning with another couple which has been quite the learning experience.  I've learned so much over the past few weeks, that I think I might want to continue taking lessons every now and then.  We have our last lesson this coming Saturday which makes me sad, but hopefully I can takes some more lessons in the near future!

Since we were hit by that crazy storm on Saturday, we decided to do some outlet shopping with our friends instead of sitting inside our houses with no power.  It was so much fun and I came home with a few goodies! ;)  I think even Dave had a good time!

Celebrating my promotion!! :)

Saturday night we relaxed, celebrated my promotion from work and watched some swim trials.  I've been hooked on the swim trials which makes me super pumped for the Olympics!  I can't believe how young some of these swimmers are and the times they are putting out.  It kind of got me thinking about joining a Master's swim team....

Relaxing by the pool on Sunday afternoon...

 Our summer is pretty packed but I love it!  I'm looking forward to a short week this week and New Jersey the following weekend!  I hope everyone has an amazing Fourth of July!!!

Where I've Been

Sorry for the lack of posts lately.  I've been busy traveling: a trip to my parents' house and two weddings.  I'm also taking a summer class so that I can start sitting for my CPA exam this winter.  Life has been busy but I like being busy! 

This weekend Dave and I are starting golf lessons with another couple and I'm completely ecstatic!  I've taken a golf course in college and played a couple of times but it will be nice to learn from a Pro!  The rest of the summer consists of a few long weekend trips, continuing training for my half-marathon, fun times with family and friends, summer concerts and hopefully some relaxation.

I hope everyone's summer is off to a great start!  Below are some pictures from the last few weekends!

Celebrating Mother's Day!

Matt & Amy's wedding!

Delicious dinner in Quonnie!

Jo & Sam's rehearsal dinner!

Jo & Sam's wedding!  (Yes, I know, Dave needs some sunglasses ASAP!!)

Game Night

Mario-themed cupcakes!!  (They are supposed to be the mushrooms!)

So I forget how this idea even came up, but Dave and our friend, Jeff, decided it would be fun to have a game night.  They wanted to play Mario Kart for Nintendo 64 and some other games.  This wasn't my idea of a good time but thought I would make the best of it.  Much to my surprise, the night turned out FANTASTIC and we all had a blast!

The foods we prepared for the night were your typical "party" foods, just the lighter version.  We made the Skinny Taste version of  buffalo wing dip and boy was it a hit!  You couldn't even tell that it was the lighter version.  We had different kinds of tortilla chips along with celery to go with the dip.  We also made healthy baked chicken nuggets from Skinny Taste with an assortment of dipping sauces.  Beverages consisted of beer and piña coladas.   Susanna, Jeff's girlfriend, and I opted for the piña coladas for the first couple rounds! :)

Yummy piña coladas

We decided to show Jeff and Susanna how to play crokinole.  I don't know how to explain the game, it kind of reminds me of shuffle board for your table (I suggest you go Google it!)  We had so much fun playing it!  Jeff and I were paired up together and Dave and Susanna were paired together.  Unfortunately, Dave and Susanna beat us in the end but it was close!  I really think they enjoyed playing it and we will definitely be having a re-match one of these days!

After playing several rounds of crokinole, Dave and Susanna made a pizza.  Jeff and Susanna made this to-die-for strawberry salad to go along with our pizza, which I will be replicating in the near future!  After dinner it was time to play Mario Kart!  Susanna killed us all in almost every round we played!!!   She was amazing!  I think I need to brush up on my Mario Kart skills! :)   We also played 007 which wasn't as fun as most of us remembered.  The highlight of the night was playing my dance game for Kinnect.  Dave and Jeff were H-I-L-A-R-I-O-U-S!  I haven't laughed that much in a LONG time! :)  

Jeff and Dave dancing (sorry it's so blurry)

Jeff and Dave

I decided to make cupcakes to go along with our "gaming" theme.  I decorated the cupcakes to look like the mushrooms from Mario.  I think they turned out great!

What a wonderful night it was with great friends!

Weekend = Time to Play Catch-Up!

Last week was a busy week for both Dave and myself.  Dave was studying for a big test he was taking on Saturday and I'm right in the middle of tax season.  We had little time to hang out with each other during the week and a lot of house chores got pushed aside.  Sunday was a day to catch up on sleep, spend quality time with each other and do some chores!

My pretty manicure

A Pink Lemonade Cupcake

After work on Saturday, I met up with a friend for a much-needed mani/pedi.  It was so relaxing - exactly what I was needing.  We spent Saturday night at home with another couple, had some pizza and I made pink lemonade cupcakes via Skinny Taste.  I enjoyed them and I'm pretty sure everyone else did too.  They were a little tart but a healthy alternative to a regular cupcake!

Sunday Dave and I enjoyed a nice lunch outside since the weather was absolutely gorgeous!  We did a few errands, some chores around the house and then I made this delicious dinner with the help from my sous-chef!  I got the recipe from Skinny Taste (lately, most of our dinners have come from here!)  It was very flavorful and super easy to make - Dave was impressed! 

Enchilada Sauce

Grated zucchini, garlic and chives

Yumminess inside the enchilada

End result = super delicious!!

Another fun weekend has come to an end and I'm ready to tackle the week ahead!  Hope everyone has a wonderful week!

Dave's Birthday Weekend

The birthday boy!

Saturday was Dave's birthday and I wanted it to be the perfect weekend for him.  His dad flew in from Massachusetts Thursday night and the two of them spent Friday in D.C.  They had a great time visiting various museums throughout the day.  I'm so happy they were able to spend some quality time together doing one of Dave's favorite activities.

Friday night the three of us had a fabulous dinner at one of Dave's favorite restaurant, Eventide, located in Clarendon.  The dinner was outstanding!  Dave and I both had the winter vegetable soup to start out with and it was out of this world!  It was so creamy and very flavorful - highly recommended!  The rest of our meal was just as tasty!  I cannot wait to go back!  :)

Jonathan and Dave

Dave's birthday cake

Dinner!

Unfortunately, I had to work on Saturday, but Dave and his dad were able to relax and venture out around town.  That night we went to Medieval Times with a group of friends and had such a great time.  All Dave wanted for his birthday was to go to Medieval Times.  I will admit, I was a little apprehensive about the idea, but so glad we did it.  It was such a fun experience and I'm so happy Dave could spend it with his friends and family!

Sunday the three of us went into Clarendon again to have brunch at Liberty Tavern. I had my first ever bloody mary and now I'm officially hooked!  How have I gone so long without ever trying one of these tasty things?!?!  After brunch we spent the afternoon at the Newseum and visited the MLK memorial.  It was a fun afternoon and I was happy I got to spend it with Dave and Jonathan.

Outside of the Newseum

It was a wonderful weekend and I hope it was great one for Dave; he truly deserves all the happiness in the world and I hope I was able to make it a very happy birthday!